2016: Page 145

Page 145 has been a busy day with a combination of the normal work routines and trying to work ahead on some things as I prepare for some vacation time. The morning began with the usual bathroom cleaning and building prep to get ready for the day. As the school day began, I worked on finishing the prayer guide for two weeks out so I know it is done before I head out on vacation. As I worked on it, a hummingbird hovered for just a moment at the window above my desk. It was beautiful to see but so momentary that there was no chance to snap a picture. I had never seen a hummingbird at my office window before, so this was a special sight to me as I spent time with God. The prayer guide that I worked on today is focused on praying about righteousness. The Bible makes it clear that none of us are righteous on our own but that we can be declared righteous through our obedient faith in the work of Jesus on our behalf.

After I finished writing the prayer guide, I ran some errands that needed done and then came back to the building where I put an updated prayer focus on the church sign. I have often used the topics from the current weekly prayer guide to post out front, but today I decided to encourage a prayer focus of whatever is noble on one side of the sign and whatever is pure on the other. It seems that every time I scroll through any social media site or turn on the news, the ugliness of a sin-infested world is on full display. It would appear by the things I see posted and shared, that many Christians are not spending much time praying that God would fill their thought life with things that are good, and pure, and noble, and praise-worthy. God says that it is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks and I believe it is out of that same overflow that the fingers type. I know I need constant encouragement to fill my heart and mind with things that are noble and pure. It seems like the things which are not have no problem finding a way in if I don’t keep a vigilant guard on the things I see and hear.

As I thought about having a righteousness that I cannot earn and a world of beauty that is often unappreciated, I chose a spring flower photo to share on this page as an example of God’s remarkable gifts that He desires to shower upon His children. I found this particular flower blooming along the river walk path and suspect that many people walk past it without even noticing its presence. I suspect that most of us go through life surrounded by more of God’s beauty than we ever realize. But I’m afraid we often miss out on living a life of righteousness because we either fail to walk by faith or we lose sight of the righteousness that God has credited to us through Jesus.

I pray that you and I would pursue a righteousness that is found only in Christ. I pray that we would set our minds on things that are good and lovely so that those types of things would flow from us to the people around us. I pray that we would pay attention to the beauty that God surrounds us with as reminders of His goodness and creativity. I pray that we would live as people who have been declared righteous because of the work of God in our life.

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All posts on this blog are my thoughts and opinions at the time of writing and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other individual or organization. I have been known to change my mind on occasion, so the writings here may not even reflect my views all the time.
Thanks for learning with me. - Tom